Archive for February 9, 2012

Sloppy Joes are quick and easy to make, get kids to the table for a fun dinner and can be a great way to incorporate a healthy boost of vegetables into your day!

A lot of us still use, or grow up on the canned Sloppy Joe mix – get rid of that stuff! This is easy and all natural . You get the sweet, tangy, rich flavor of the traditional sloppy burger – naturally.

For the bun, this is another place where you can ruin a perfectly healthy meal. Instead of a white bun, try something a little different. Whole grain pita, homemade biscuits – recipe below for easy and quick Whole Grain Beer Batter Biscuits, toasted spelt bread – all make better alternatives for the highly processed traditional buns.

Pack as many vegetables as you can into this recipe! Chop up some fresh spinach in the food processor, grate your vegetables very small….sneak it in where you can!

Want to switch it up? I will include variations to make Sloppy Jose’s and Sloppy Guiseppe’s! Yum!

Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Heat a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add your oil and swirl around the pan. Add the meat and vegetables. Stir often, allowing all moisture to evaporate and the ingredients to brown. While the meat is cooking mix together your sauce mix – the tomato sauce, honey, lemon juice, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Once the meat mixture is brown add your sauce. Keep the heat up and let the sauce and meat simmer together and allowing the sauce to get rich and thick. Take off the heat when you have the rich consistency you want – sloppy but not too sloppy!

Serve with the bun of your choice. Enjoy!
To make Sloppy Jose’s: Reduce the tomato sauce to 1 cup. Add one cup salsa and instead of paprika add 1 tsp cumin and 2 tsp dried ground chili powder. Serve with sour cream and some cheese!

Leftover mix? Wrap up in a tortilla for lunch, make a fabulous omelet or eat as-is with a salad!

Whole grain beer batter biscuits

Makes 12 biscuits

3 cups whole grain flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tb baking powder

1 Tb organic raw sugar

12 oz beer of your choice

Mix the dry ingredients together – add the beer and mix until everything is just incorporated. Spray a muffin tin with pan spray, divide the batter between the cups. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes until the top is nice and brown. Serve and enjoy!
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